Luke 22:26Let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.In the ancient world of the M.E., hospitality was the main virtue that defined a man’s character and integrity. ‘To welcome people is like welcoming God’, was a famous adage in those days. Jewish sages say that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was to abuse visiting strangers. Their attitude came in direct contrast with their contemporary, Abraham, whose hospitality was proverbial. Lot followed Abraham’s sample and wanted to honor the visiting angels (Genesis 19), while the Sodomite wanted to abuse them.When Abraham saw the ‘visitors’ by the Plain of Mamre, he ‘rushed’ towards them, he hurried towards them like a man fearful of missing a blessing (Genesis 18). He served the festival foods, opened the best wine, broke out the special ‘dishes’. He also washed their feet, called them ‘lord’, and himself their servant. He was not doing all this in regards to the caliber of his guests. He was simply doing everything he normally did and acted the way he always did with all people who visited his camp. Abraham was a wealthy sheik, he had many servants, but he tended to the visitors himself. The whole idea of being a guest was of honoring a host, blessing someone by the opportunity to serve us. This is very different from our present-day Western mind frame with the ‘buffet-style’ serve yourself type of mentality. The Torah teaches us to obey God’s commands for their own sake, not in view of receiving any reward for it in this world, but a famous Rabbi said that, ‘Hospitality is one of the things for which a man enjoys reward in this world. He also says that’ Hospitality to strangers is more important than attendance at the House of Study’ (Rabbi Yochanan, Shabbat 127a).I would like to say that the Master followed the example of Abraham by being among us as one who serves (Luke 22:27), but since Yeshua was before Abraham was (John 8:58), I would rather say that that it was Abraham who was faithful to the Master’s teachings. Through His relationship with Messiah Abraham understood God’s heart and ways. Abraham’s lifestyle and attitude with others was his statement of faith. In the same way, the ‘religion’ others see in us should also be our statement of faith. We should wear our ‘religion’ on our ‘sleeves’ by the way people see our ‘sleeves’ as we serve them the way Messiah Himself would serve them, were He in our place.And how would He serve them? Abraham knew: He would serve the best food, open the best wine, break out the best dishes, wash their feet, and call them ‘lord’ though He Himself is Lord of all. He really did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:6-7).

Revelation 18:2"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!Abraham was brought up as one coming from the East to deliver Lot his nephew from the captivity of foreign kings. No, Abraham would not take a blessing from the heathen king of Sodom; the patriarch had better rewards than those on earth in his mire. His faith was duly rewarded when Melchizedek, the King of Righteousness came to bless Abraham with the recompense no-one can ever take from him (Genesis 14).In the same manner, King Cyrus, whom Hashem called over two hundred years before his birth ‘My shepherd’ also came from the East (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1). Not desiring a bounty in God’s people, he captured the city of Babylon. Isaiah prophesied, And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground (Isaiah 21:9). After his valiant conquest of the impregnable city, Cyrus’ hand was moved to free Judah and Israel from captivity and allow them to return to their country and rebuild their beloved city Jerusalem with its Temple (Ezra 1:1-3).God’s children are still in captivity. This world is certainly not our home. We, along with all the holy elected ones who died before us declare plainly that we seek a better country that is, a heavenly country solely ruled by the Messiah King and His Torah. Wherefore Hashem is not ashamed to be called our God: for He has prepared for us a city (Hebrews 11:13-16 KJV). Even so our Messiah Redeemer also comes with dyed garments from Bozrah. He is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength. He speaks in righteousness. He is mighty to save. You may ask, Why is He red in His apparel, and His garments like him that treads in the winefat? And He answers “I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come” (Isaiah 63:1-4 KJV). Yes, like Abraham of old flew upon the heathen kings to deliver Lot; as God Himself formed a king to conquer Babylon in order to deliver His people, the moral, social and economic collapse of today’s’ societies uncover the distant cry heard 2,000 years ago by Yochanan the Beloved disciple of the Master saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living." Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues (Revelations 18:2-4). May it be soon Abba, even in our days!

Romans 11:17-18But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.Before leaving earth Yeshua told His disciples to immerse people in His Name. The Torah idea of immersion has to do with being born again. For Jews, ritual immersions had to do with being born-again into repentance or renewal after a disease such as leprosy but for a gentile, ritual immersion meant conversion from paganism into monotheism, becoming part of the House of Israel. Such people in Synagogues were called proselytes or 'Children of Abraham' (Acts 13:26). A famous proselyte was Phillip's Ethiopian dignitary (Acts 8:26-40).Why, 'Children of Abraham?' Let me now engage you in a little Hebrew word-play. The sages of Israel loved those! Hashem said to Abraham, I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 12:3)." It is because of this verse mentioning that those of the nations would blessed through Abraham that Judaism always looked at converts from the nations as 'Children of Abraham'. Yeshua followed the same idea In His admonition to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). You see, the word blessing in Hebrew is 'berachah', which is the same word used for an immersion pool. In this sense, Abraham becomes an 'immersion pool’ for the gentiles to repent and turn to the God of Israel. Of course, this is what is called in Hebrew a 'midrash', or a creative interpretation to explain a spiritual principle. Yeshua, Paul, and all the writers of the apostolic Scriptures indulged intensively in 'midrash-ing'. Here is another one. The Hebrew word for 'shall be blessed' in our Genesis verse is 'nivrechu'. This word is a conjugated from of the verb 'to bless'. Many words are cut from that same 'cloth': the word for 'knees' which describes the position in which we bless or are blessed, but also the term ‘mavrich’ or ‘to inter-mingle/to graft'. The later one is quite amazing as in his midrash about the nations entering the covenant of Israel, Paul uses the concept of grafting (Romans 11). He must have gotten the idea from an ancient 'midrash' stating the 'grafting' of Rachab the Amonite and of Ruth the Moabite into Israel by conversion or, being 'blessed/immersed/grafted in’ (Yavamoth 63a). The conversion of these two women into Judaism is all the more amazing because the Torah implicitly forbids Amonites and Moabites to enter the congregation of Israel up to the tenth generation (Deuteronomy 23:3). This shows that they were not thought as foreigners anymore, but proselytes with complete rights in Israel. It also teaches us that if Hashem accdepted them, he will certainly accept you!Today we are sent by the Master not only to ‘immerse/bless/graft’, make disciples of all nations, but also to teach them to observe all things which He has taught us. At His coming may we be found being faithful Torah teachers not only in words, but in deeds also, teaching all who come to us by the sample of a godly life.

1 Peter 2:19For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. … But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Messiah also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.Abraham was called a ‘friend’ of God. Did Abraham click the ‘like’ digital button on God’s Facebook? Or did God click on ‘like’ digital button on Abraham’s Facebook? In ancient Semitic societies the word ‘friend’ meant something much deeper than a digital click or a casual acquaintance. The bond of friendship was as strong as a marriage. David and Jonathan had such a bond (1 Samuel 18:1-4)! In a ‘friend’ covenant, two parties merged their assets and liabilities and pledged each other military support. The covenant could only be annulled by the death of one of the parties. To break the terms of the ‘friend’ covenant was a serious issue that could even lead to war between the two factions. Here is question: whereas I may find benefits in making such a covenant/merger with God, what would God gain in making one with me? Do I have anything to give Him? Will I protect God in His day of trouble? Indeed God needed a man to help Him bridge between His holy realm and the human sinful realm; a man with integrity who would show himself unconditionally loyal towards that covenant; a man who would initiate a family line to carry the seed of Messiah.That man whom God would entrust needed to have a certain amount of ‘chesed’. This word is usually translated as ‘mercy’, lovingkindness’. It also means ‘devotion’. Ten times Hashem tested Abraham’s ‘chesed’ towards the covenant even to the point of requiring the life of his only begotten son, and ten times Abraham proved himself worthy of the Father’s investment. Covenants are passed from fathers to sons. When we accept Yeshua as our Messiah, the abrahamic covenant falls on us. Should we also be tested? Life seems to be a series of tests where we each are faced with decisions pertaining to the terms of the covenant. The Torah given on Mount Horeb is the terms of our covenant with the heavenly Father. Most of us have trials and tests in our lives. Some are our faults, while some seem totally random. Sages taught that when the sinner suffers it is for his own sake, but when the righteous suffers, it is for the sake of others. Whereas some of our trials may be the results of our own foolishness, some things do fall on us that we feel are random. Yeshua did d say that as the Father sent Him, so he sent us. Could it be that our ‘random’ trials operate ‘virtue credit’ for others who need it? This principle is why prophets who interceded for Israel always reminded God of someone else’s virtue like Abraham or King David in whose name to save Israel. We are ourselves are redeemed not by our own virtues but by that of Messiah.This is just something to think about. If anything, it may give purpose to those things you feel happened to you for no reason at all!

Hebrews 11:14For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.The second of November marks the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration when in 1917 British Foreign Secretary, Arthur James Balfour, influenced the Jewish communities of the world to believe that Great Britain would support the creation of a Jewish state in the Middle East. Though achieved within all legalities, Israel’s return from exile has not been an easy one. It is still in question today. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and later the whole nation of Israel coming from Egypt, none of them got a free pass into the Promised Land. All had to push and fight for their God-given inheritance. Genetics teach us that children possess within themselves the potential of their parents, so we can be assured that when ‘push’ will come to ‘shove’, our people will again show enough stubbornness to claim what is ours.Alongside the modern-day Zionist movement we also have a new generation of messianic teenagers with a mission to reach out to their peers. They could also inherit being the messianic leaders of the World to Come, of the Kingdom of Messiah on earth. But as it was with our fathers it will not be an easy task. The promises are given to us for free, but we have to show our will and worthiness to receive them by going to an all-out spiritual war for them.Again, genetics come to the rescue. Under the blessing of Abraham Genesis 28:14), biological descendant of the patriarch as well as all who take refuge in his seed, ,Yeshua the Jewish Messiah can find the strength, will, stamina, courage, if not plain sheer stubbornness (and by Hashem’s own definition we are a stubborn stiff-necked people) to accomplish the mission of the Master, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is immersed will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover (Mark 16:15)."Just like our youth seems to be engrossed in today’s distractions, the Zionist movement in Israel seems to be a passing fad. Can we blame them? Aren’t many of us adults so engrossed in our own lives, even in congregational activities that we have very little time left for our godly mission to reach out to our peers? We as adults need to show our teenagers the way to a godly life. It is our responsibility to blaze the trail for them by doing like Abraham, letting go of the baggage of the past to engage in the profession Messiah called us to (Genesis 12:1). Like Abraham, Moses and all our fathers, our eyes and hearts need to be so focused on our bright future that the present world and its concerns seem to us but husks. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city (Hebrews 11:15-16).